1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein is related to computers, and particularly to computer telephony.
2. Description of Related Art
Companies usually have several pieces of office equipment that are critical to their operations. This equipment includes telephones, fax machines, answering machines and computers with modems. A common requirement of this equipment is telephone lines. Companies usually connect each piece of equipment to a dedicated telephone line so that the equipment can operate independently and simultaneously. This configuration results in maximum flexibility and efficiency of company operations.
Many large companies have sophisticated telephone networks to support such office equipment. However, in the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) environment where the financial resources and the number of telephone lines are limited, connection of the equipment has often meant compromises in flexibility, utility and efficiency.
Many SOHO environments have 2 or 3 telephone lines available for use. Since the telephone system usually takes priority, 1 or 2 telephone lines are dedicated to it. This usually means that the rest of the office equipment shares a telephone line. To enable telephone line sharing, many businesses use a device called a “Fax Switch”. An example of a Fax Switch is the Radio Shack Model AFX-400 Three-Device Home Fax Switch. This device has a facility to connect a telephone line to a telephone, a computer modem, a fax machine, and an answering machine. For incoming calls, this device analyzes the incoming call on the telephone line and automatically routes the call to the appropriate piece of equipment. For out going calls, this device provides the equipment with access to the telephone line. This device is beneficial because it allows all of the equipment to operate on a telephone line. The problem with this configuration is that when one piece of equipment is in use, the remaining equipment cannot be used. This lack of flexibility is often frustrating to many small businesses, especially when a business opportunity requires simultaneous operations. Some companies address the problem by changing the telephone line connections so that the desired operations can be performed. However, this process is cumbersome and often comes at the expense of other equipment operation.
The modem industry has attempted to provide a solution by integrating data, voice, fax and answering machine functions into a single device. However, the computer modem has disadvantages similar to the fax switch. The modem usually operates on one telephone line and is thus limited in the functions that it can perform simultaneously. Currently, with the proper telephone line service connected, the modem can simultaneously perform voice telephony and a data connection, to the Internet for example. This restriction could be resolved by the use of multiple modems, however, this solution has a redundancy and complexity of operation that is not practical for most small businesses. In addition, the computer modem offers little or no connectivity to other pieces of office equipment. The computer modem does provide some level of integration of equipment functions onto a telephone line, however its inability to perform the required office operations simultaneously indicates that it is not the optimum solution.
With no practical alternatives, many small companies continue to use telephones for voice communications and fax switches for their office equipment. What is needed is a device that provides multiple telephone line management and device connectivity such that office operations can be performed efficiently and simultaneously through the available telephone lines.